(Note: The 99th-108th digits of e = 7427466391 is the first 10-digit prime in
consecutive digits of e. This is the answer to the Google Billboard question
that may lead to a job opportunity at Google.com, San Jose Mercury News, 7-10-2004)

Atomic Number of
Promethium (Pm) = 61 (61 protons & 61 electrons)
Promethium is a rare earth metal, with atomic weight 145.
Promethium salts luminesce in the dark with a pale blue
or greenish glow, due to their high radioactivity.

Pronghorn antelope has a maximum speed of 61 miles per hour.
Arthur Einarsen, Pronghorn Antelope and Its Management (1948):"On August 14, 1936, I was with a group that paced many pronghorns on the dried bed
of Spanish Lake in Lake County, Oregon... Small groups here and there raced beside
the car, until five, led by a magnificent buck, ran parallel to us, pressing toward
the shore from the feeding area in the lake center while we drove on a straight course.
As they closed in from the right, the buck took a lead of about fifty feet and Myers
increased speed to keep even with the animal. Dean Schoenfeld watched the speedometer,
Myers drove the car, and I photographed the moving animals. The buck was now about
20 feet away and kept abreast of the car at 50 miles per hour. He gradually increased
his gait, and with a tremendous burst of speed flattened out so that he appeared as
lean and low as a greyhound. Then he turned toward us at about a 45 degree angle
and disappeared in front of the car; to reappear on our left. He had gained enough
to cross our course as the speedometer registered 61 mph. After the buck
passed us, he quickly slackened his pace and when he reached a rounded knoll about
600 feet away, he stood snorting in graceful silhouette against the sky as though
enjoying the satisfaction of beating us in a fair race."

43)

Messier object M61 is one of the larger galaxies in the Virgo cluster;
its 6 arc minutes of diameter correspond to about 100,000 light years, similar to
the diameter of the Milky Way galaxy. M61 was discovered by Barnabus Oriani on
May 5, 1779 when following the comet of that year, 6 days before Charles Messier's
discovery. It is located 60 million light years from the earth.
Four supernovae have been observed in M61.

61 in Mythology & History

44)

The 61st day of the year =
March 2
(Theodor Seuss Geisel, who wrote and illustrated the popularDr. Seuss children's books, was born on March 2, 1904.
Obituary)

45)

The 61st day of the leap-year =
March 1
[Yitzhak Rabin, Israeli Prime minister was born on March 1, 1922.
Obituary;
Born March 1: Chopin (1810-1849), Glenn Miller (1904-1944), David Niven (1909-1983)]

46)

61 B.C.
September 29: Pompey the Great
celebrates his third triumph for
victories over the pirates and the end of the Mithridatic Wars

47)

61 A.D. London is sacked by the
Trinovantes of Essex and Suffolk
by the Iceni of Norfolk and Suffolk whose queen
Boudica revolts upon
the retirement of the Roman governor Seutonius Paulionus.
Rome's legions crush the Britons and restores the Roman
authority that will continue until 407 A.D.
James Trager (Ed.), The People's Chronology (1979), p. 37

Stanford Bronze Plaque 61
on the ground to the right of Stanford University's
Memorial Church
is dedicated to the Class of 1961.
The first graduating class at Stanford was 1892.
In 1980, Stanford Provost Don Kennedy strolled around the Inner Quad and
calculated that it would take
512 years for the bronze class plaques embedded
in the walkways to circle the entire area ending with the
Class of 2403.

61st Street/Woodside is one of the subway stations in the
IRT Flushing Line, between the 52nd St./Lincoln St. & 69th St./Fisk Ave. stations

56)

The Pierre Hotel is located
in Manhattan across the street from Central Park
on Fifth Avenue at 61st Street. It has 202 rooms including 53 suites and
12 Grand Suites. The Presidential Suite and The Park Suite have unobstructed
views of Central Park. Address: 2 East 61st Street, New York, NY 10021

57)

The Mayflower Hotel on the Park
is located in Manhattan's
Upper West Side overlooking Central Park at 61st Street.
It has 365 generously sized rooms and suites.
Address: 15 Central Park West, New York, NY 10023

58)

Highway 61,
once ran from New Orleans through Memphis and Iowa through Hibbing, Minnesota
all the way to Thunder Bay, Ontario in Canada. The road was originally 1714 miles long,
but has been shortened to 1400. Also known as the Blues Highway, it runs
through the Mississippi delta country which was an important source of blues music.
Both Son Thomas ("Highway 61") and Mississippi Fred McDowell ("61 Highway") wrote
songs about it, and many Mississippians, such as Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley took
the blues to Chicago along the route. All these connections led Bob Dylan to
commemorate the highway in the title song of his album
Highway 61 Revisited.
The present U.S. Highway 61
has its Northern Terminus at I-35 in Wyoming, Minnesota,
and the Southern Terminus at US-90 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

59)

Highway 61 in North Carolina:
Northern Terminus of NC 61 is at NC 150 in Osceola.
The Southern Terminus of NC 61 is at NC 62 in Kimesville.

60)

The Bay Farm Island Bridge is part of California Highway 61.
It is a 125 foot single leaf bascule bridge and spans the San Leandro Bay
inlet to the Oakland Estuary at Otis Drive.

Baseball's 61st All-Star Game was played at Wrigley Field, Chicago
on July 10, 1990. The American League won 2-0, with Bret Saberhagen
as the winning pitcher. Heavy rain halted the game for over an hour
in the 7th inning. When the game resumed, Julio France doubled in
two runs off the new pitcher Rob Dibble. The Nationals were held to
two hits, an All-Star all-time low. Dennis Eckersley got the save.Total Baseball, 4th Ed., Viking, NY (1995), p. 271

63)

Baseball's 61st World Series (1964): St. Louis Cardinals defeats New York Yankees 4-3
Bob Gibson won the final game against Mel Stottlemyre 7-5 (10-15-1964) and sets
a new World Series record of 31 strikeouts.Total Baseball, 4th Ed., Viking, NY (1995), p. 356

64)

Roger Maris
hits 61 homers
breaking
Babe Ruth's
34-year old record of 60 homers.
His 61st homer was hit off
Boston's Tracy Stallard
at Yankee Stadium
in the 4th inning
which won the game 1-0
(October 1, 1961).
Maris's record stood for 37 years
until Mark McGwire's
62nd homer(Sept. 8, 1998).

61* : The Story of Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle and One Magical Summer
is a book by Ron Smith and Billy Crystal published by McGraw Hill (2001).
The phrase "61 in '61" held a special place in baseball lore. It was the year
when Mantle and Maris made an assault on Babe Ruth's 60 home runs record.
61* chronicles in week-by-week format the home run race, up to and including
the Yankees' World Series victory that year.

Beethoven's Opus #61 is Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major (1806)
Beethoven composed only one concerto for violin. It is in D major,
and carries the opus number 61. The concerto was composed and performed
on December 23, 1806. It was published in 1808 and is dedicated to
Beethoven's longtime friend, Stephan von Breuning.
(More detail)

82)

Frederic Chopin's Opus #61 is Polonaise-fantasie A flat Major (1846)
Chopin composed polonaises nearly all his life, beginning in 1817 when he wrote
Polonaise in G minor (the first piece ever by the then 7-year-old composer)
and ending in 1846 with Polonaise-Fantasie in A flat major Op. 61.How to Play Chopin?: Chopin's Polonaises

83)

Felix Mendelssohn's Opus 61
is part of a suite of incidental music
written for Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream at Potsdam in 1842.
Opus 61 comprises 13 pieces, the first of which is a Scherzo depicting
the darting movements of Puck and the fairies in Act 2. No. 2 is a march
announcing the arrival Oberon and Titania, complete with fanfares.
The Intermezzo (No. 5) depicts Hermia awakening from her dream to find
her beloved Lysander gone. She goes anxiously searching for him,
nervous darting phrases in the music show her fretting. Then there
is the famous No. 9 "Wedding March"
This music has long been
popular for playing newly wed couples coming out of the church.
(Short Bio)

84)

Camille Saint-Saëns's Violin Concerto #3 in B Minor,
Opus 61 was composed in 1880 for the Spanish virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate,
who gave the work its premiere on January 2, 1881, at a Châtelet concert in Paris.

First stanza:Oh God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"
Abe says, "Man, you must be puttin' me on"
God say, "No." Abe say, "What?"
God say, "You can do what you want Abe, but
The next time you see me comin' you better run"
Well Abe says, "Where do you want this killin' done?"
God says, "Out on Highway 61."

86)

61 wagons in Wink Martindale's song "1849" (1971):
written by Skip Prokop and Ralph Cole
recorded by Lighthouse from 1971 album One Fine MorningWagons rolled out under darkened skies
The sun refused to shine
Four-hundred people full of hopes and dreams
In eighteen-forty-nine
They waved goodbye, women dried their tears
Young men hid their fears
They headed west, full of confidence
That their fortunes would appear
They packed a trunk full of china, a bible or two
A shotgun for Leroy, a pistol for Lou
A pretty dress for Sarah
And a hat for sister Fay
No one thought their greed for gold would change their lives someday
They headed west in eighteen-forty-nineSixty-one wagons, two miles long in a line
They headed west in eighteen-forty-nine.

The song "Get Happy" from the film
Summer Stock (1950) was selected
as the 61st best song in
AFI 100 Years... 100 Songs (2004). Judy Garland sang the song.
Music & Lyrics: Harold Arlen & Ted Koehler.

93)

61* is Billy Crystal's film "Ode to the Summer of Mantle and Maris".
It honored the expanded 1961 baseball season from 154 games
to 162 when Yankees teammates Mantle and Maris made an assault
on Babe Ruth's 60 home runs record. The asterik * in 61* was
inserted by baseball commissioner Ford Frick since the Maris
record was not set in 154 games. In the film Barry Pepper
starred as Roger Maris and Thomas Jane starred Mickey Mantle.
The DVD release date was February 3, 2004.

94)

The Man in Seat Sixty-One
is the name of a website on how to travel
by train and ship. The author Mark Smith is from Buckinghamshire in England.
Zaharoff, the great arms dealer, always booked compartment 7 on the Orient Express.
For a comfortable seat with a decent view from the window, Mark Smith always
book seat 61 (in cars 11, 7 or 8) in Eurostar's first class.

61 in the Bible

95)

61st word of the King James Version of the Bible's Old Testament Genesis = God
1: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2: And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3: And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4: And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
 Genesis I.1-4 (1611)

96)

61 cited in the Bible:61 appears once in the Bible and twice as part of other numbers:

And the asses were thirty thousand and five hundred;
of which the Lord's tribute was three scores and one.
 Numbers, 31.39 (1452 BC)

There are 66 books in the Holy Bible 39 OT and 27 NT
The 61st book is the Second Epistle of Peter
with a total of 61 verses in three chapters.
The 61st verse and last verse is:But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.
 II. Peter, 3.18 (66 AD)

98)

61st Verse in Chapter 22 of
Genesis:And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels,
and followed the man; and the servants took Rebekah, and went his way..
 Genesis, 24.61 (1857 B.C.)

99)

61st Verse in Chapter 7 of
Numbers:His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was 130 shekels,
one silver bowl of 70 shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both
of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering..
 Numbers, 7.61 (1490 B.C.)

100)

Chapter 61 of Isaiah on the mission of the prophet:The spirit of the Lord Yahweh has been given to me,
for Yahweh has anointed me.
He has sent me to bring good news to the poor,
to bind up hearts that are broken;

I exult for joy in Yahweh,
my soul rejoices in my God,
for he has clothed me in the grarments of salvation,
he has wrapped me in the cloak of integrity,
like a bridegroom wearing his wreath,
like a bride adorned in her jewels.

For as the earth makes fresh things grow,
as a garden makes seeds spring up,
so will the Lord Yahweh make both integrity and praise
spring up in teh sight of the nations.
Isaiah 61.1, 61.10-11 (1040 B.C.),
The Jerusalem Bible
(Ed. Alexander Jones), Doubleday, NY, 1968, pp. 1059-1060

101)

In the 61st Psalm, David vows perpetual service to God:
Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.
From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee,
when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me
to the rock that is higher than I.
For thou hast been a shelter for me,
and a strong tower from the enemy.
Thou wilt prolong the king's life:
and his years as many generations.
He shall abide before God for ever:
O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him.
So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever,
that I may daily perform my vows.Psalms 61.1-3, 61.6-8 (1048 B.C.),

102)

61st Verse in Chapter 26 of
Matthew:And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy
the temple of God, and to build it in three days.
 Matthew, 26.61 (33 A.D.)

103)

61st Verse in Chapter 27 of
Matthew:And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary,
sitting over against the sepulchre.
 Matthew, 27.61 (33 A.D.)

104)

61st Verse in Chapter 14 of
Mark:But he held his peace, and answered nothing.
Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him,
Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?.\
 Mark, 14.61 (33 A.D.)

105)

61st Verse in Chapter 22 of
Luke:And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter.
And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he said unto him,
Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice..
 Luke, 22.61 (33 A.D.)

106)

61st Book of Enoch on Angels measuring Paradise:
1. And I saw in those days how long cords were given to those angels,
and they took to themselves wings and flew, and they went towards the north.
2. And I asked the angel, saying unto him: 'Why have those (angels) taken
these cords and gone off?' And he said unto me: 'They have gone to measure.'
3. And the angel who went with me said unto me:
'These shall bring the measures of the righteous,
And the ropes of the righteous to the righteous,
That they may stay themselves on the name of
the Lord of Spirits for ever and ever.
7. And that One (with) their first words they blessed,
And extolled and lauded with wisdom,
And they were wise in utterance and in the spirit of life.
11. On that day shall raise one voice, and bless and glorify
and exalt in the spirit of faith, and in the spirit of wisdom,
and in the spirit of patience, and in the spirit of mercy,
and in the spirit of judgement and of peace, and in the spirit
of goodness, and shall all say with one voice: "Blessed is He,
and may the name of the Lord of Spirits be blessed for ever and ever."
Book of Enoch, LXI.1-3, 7, 11 (circa 105 B.C.-64 B.C.)
translated by R. H. Charles, S.P.C.K., London, 1917, pp. 79-81

107)

61st Saying of Gospel of Thomas:
Jesus said, "Two will recline on a couch; one will die, one will live."
Salome said, "Who are you mister? You have climbed onto my couch and
eaten from my table as if you are from someone." Jesus said to her,
"I am the one who comes from what is whole. I was granted from
the things of my Father." Salome said, "I am your disciple."
Jesus said to her, "For this reason I say, if one is whole,
one will be filled with light, but if one is divided,
one will be filled with darkness."
Gospel of Thomas, Saying 61 (114 sayings of Jesus)
(translated by Stephen Patterson & Marvin Meyer, 1992)
Elaine Pagels, Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas (2003), p. 235

108)

Chapter 61 in the First Book of Pistis Sophia (circa 150 A.D.):
Now it happened when Jesus heard these words, he said: "Excellent, Mariam, thou blessed one
who wilt inherit the whole Kingdom of the Light." After these things Mary, the mother of Jesus,
also came forward and said: "My Lord and my Saviour, command me also that I answer this discourse."
'Mercy and truth have met one another; righteousness and peace have kissed one another.
Truth has sprouted from the earth and righteousness has looked forth from heaven.'
Thy power once prophesied in these words about thee... Mercy is the Spirit which came forth
from the height, through the First Mystery, because he (the First Mystery) had mercy on
the race of men... Righteousness is thy Spirit which has brought the mysteries forth from
the height, to give them to the race of mankind... And also as it was said: 'Righteousness
(looked forth) from heaven': righteousness is the power which looked forth from the height,
which will give the mysteries of the light to the race of mankind. And they will become
righteous and good and inherit the Kingdom of the Light." Now it happened when Jesus heard
these words which Mary his mother said, he said : "Excellent, well done, Mary."
Pistis Sophia, Chapter 61
(Translated by Violet MacDermott, Edited by Carl Schmidt,Nag Hammadi Studies, IX: Pistis Sophia, E. J. Brill, Leiden, 1978, pp. 120-123)

61 in Philosophy & Religion

109)

Hymn 61 in Book 3 of the
Rig Veda
is an invocation to the Goddess Usas:
O Usas, strong with strength, endowed with knowledge, accept the singer's praise, O wealthy Lady.
Thou, Goddess, ancient, young, and full of wisdom, moves, all-bounteous! as the Law ordains.
Shine forth, O Morning, thou auspicious Goddess, on thy bright car awaking pleasant voices.
Let docile horses of far-reaching splendor convey thee hitherward, the goldencoloured.
Thou, Morning, turning thee to every creature, stands on high as ensign of the Immortal,
To one same goal ever and ever winding now, like a wheel, O newly-born, roll hither.
Letting her reins drop downward, Morning comes, the wealthy Dame, the Lady of the dwelling;
Bringing forth light, the Wonderful, the Blessed has spread her from the bounds of earth and heaven.
Hither invoke the radiant Goddess Morning, and bring with reverence your hymn to praise her.
She, dropping sweets, has set in heaven her brightness, fair to look on, has beamed forth her splendor.
From heaven, with hymns, the Holy One was wakened: brightly to both worlds came the wealthy Lady.
To Morning, Agni, when she comes refulgent, thou go forth soliciting fair riches.
On Law's firm base the speeder of the Mornings, the Bull, has entered mighty earth and heaven.
Great is the power of Varuna and Mitra, which, bright, has spread in every place its splendor.Rig Veda Book 3, 61.1-7 (circa 1500 B.C.)

110)

Chapter 61 in The Papyrus of Ani,Egyptian Book of the Dead
is for not letting a man's soul be taken
away from him in the God's Domain:I am he, I am he who came
forth from the flood,
to whom abundance was given,
that I maight have power
thereby over the River.Egyptian Book of the Dead: Book of Going Forth by DayComplete Papyrus of Ani, Chapter 61, Plate 15 (circa 1250 B.C.)
(translated by Raymond Faulkner),
Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1994

THE JUDGMENT:
INNER TRUTH. Pigs and fishes.
Good fortune.
It furthers one to cross
the great water.
Perseverance furthers.

THE IMAGE:
Wind over lake:
the image of INNER TRUTH.
Thus the superior man
discusses criminal cases
In order to delay executions.

112)

Lao Tzu (604-517 BC), Hua Hu Ching,Verse 61:
To understand the universe, you must study and understand these things:
First, the Oneness, the Tao, the Great Tai Chi
Second, the Great Two, the forces of yin and yang;
Third, the Three Main Categories, expressed
either as Heaven, Earth, and Man, or as body mind, and spirit;
Fourth, the Four Forces, strong, weak, light, and heavy;
Fifth, the Five Elements, symbolized by water, fire, wood, metal, and earth;
Sixth, the Six Breaths--wind, cold, heat, moisture, dryness, and inflammation
which transform the climate and the internal organs;
Seventh, the processes of change and recycling;
Eighth, the Eight Great Manifestations
Heaven, Earth, Water, Fire, Thunder, Lake, Wind, and Mountain
the combinations of which reveal the subtle energetic truth
of all situations, as taught in the I Ching. Understanding
these things, you can employ them internally to leave behind
what is old and dead and to embrace what is new and alive.
Once discovered, this process of internal alchemy opens
the mystical gate to spiritual immortality.
(translated by Brian Walker,Hua Hu Ching: The Unknown Teachings of Lao Tzu, 61
Harper SanFrancisco 1992)

113)

Lao Tzu (604-517 BC), Tao Te Ching,Verse 61:
The great state is a watershed
the confluence of the world
the female of the world
through stillness the female conquers the male
in order to be still
she needs to be lower
the great state that is lower
governs the small state
the small state that is lower
is governed by the great state
some lower themselves to govern
some lower themselves to be governed
the great state's only desire
is to unite and lead others
the small state's only desire
is to join and serve others
for both to achieve their desire
the greater needs to be lower
(translated by Red Pine,
Taoteching,
Mercury House, San Francisco, 1996, p. 122)

Aphorism 61 of Symbols of Pythagoras:In limine non consistendum.
Stop not at the threshold.  Dacier.
Do not waver, choose one path or the other and continue upon it.
Having put your hand to the plough, look not back.
Pythagoras (580-500 B.C.), Symbols of Pythagoras
(translated by Sapere Aude, Collectanea Hermetica, Vol. V, 1894)
reprinted in Percy Bullock,
The Dream of Scipio, Aquarian Press,
Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, UK, 1983, p. 83

116)

Section 61 of Plato's Timaeus on the geometry of fire & the universe:First, let us inquire what we mean by saying that fire is hot,
and about this we may reason from the dividing or cutting power
which it exercises on our bodies. We all of us feel that fire
is sharp, and we may further consider the finesess of the sides,
and the sharpness of the angles, and the smallness of the particles,
and the swiftness of the motion all this makes the action
of fire violent and sharp, so that it cuts whatever it meets.Plato (428-348 BC), Timaeus, 61e
(trans. Benjamin Jowett), Edited by Edith Hamilton & Huntington Cairns,Plato: The Collected Dialogues, Bollingen Series LXXI,
Princeton University Press, 1961, pp. 1186-1187

117)

Section 61 of Plato's Philebus Socrates to Protarchus on knowledge:And knowledge differed from knowledge one having regard to things
that come into being and perish, the other to those that do not come into
being nor perish, but are always, unchanged and unaltered. Reviewing them
on the score of truth, we concluded tht the latter was truer than the former.Plato (428-348 BC), Philebus, 61e
(trans. R. Hackforth), Edited by Edith Hamilton & Huntington Cairns,Plato: The Collected Dialogues, Bollingen Series LXXI,
Princeton University Press, 1961, p. 1144

118)

Verse 61 of Buddha's Dhammapada: Chapter V: The Spiritually Immature
If he who goes about in search of truth does not find one better than
or at least similar to himself, let him firmly lead a solitary life.
There is no companionship for him with the spiritually immature.
Buddha, Dhammapada Verse 61 (240 B.C.)
(translated by Sangharakshita, Dhammapada: The Way of Truth 2001, p. 29)

119)

61st Verse in Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita
(Krishna lectures to Arjuna on the art of contemplation):
Bringing them all into the harmony of recollection,
let him sit in devotion and union, his sould finding
rest in me. for when his senses are in harmony,
then his is a serence wisdom.Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 61
(Translated by Juan Mascaro, Penguin Books, 1962, p. 54)

120)

61st Verse in Chapter 18 of the Bhagavad Gita
(Krishna lectures to Arjuna on selfless work):
God dwells in the heart of all beings, Arjuna:
thy God dwells in thy heart. And his power of wonder
moves all things puppets in a play of shadows
whirling them onwards on the stream of time.Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, Verse 61
(Translated by Juan Mascaro, Penguin Books, 1962, p. 120)

121)

61st Verse in Chapter 18 of Astavakra Gita
(Sage Astavakra's dialogue with King Janaka):
The withdrawal of the ignorant is transformed into action.
The action of the wise shares in the fruits of withdrawal.Astavakra Gita,
Chapter 18, Verse 61 (circa 400 B.C.)translated by Radhakamal Mukerjee, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi, 1971, p. 153

122)

61st Aphroism Patanjali's Yoga Sutra:These when but potential, are destroyed along with the passing out of activity.
Vyasa Commentary: These five afflictions, when their seed-power has, as it were,
been burnt up, disappear of themselves along with that Yogi's mind, when having
fulfilled the purpose of its existence, it becomes latent.Patanjali (circa 200 B.C.),
Yoga Sutra
II.10: Aphroism 61 (circa 200 B.C.)
translated by Rama Prasada, Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, New Delhi, 1995, pp. 102-103

Stanza 61 of Nagarjuna's Seventy Stanzas on Emptiness:Whatever may be an object of examination does not exist inherently.
As that object of examination does not exist inherently, how can
the thought-consciousness of that non-inherently existing object
exist inherently? Therefore, because the object of examination
and the thought-consciousness arise from causes and conditions,
they are empty of inherent existence.
Nagarjuna (circa 150-250 A.D.),Seventy Stanzas on Emptiness, 61
(translated by David Ross Komito, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, NY, 1987, p. 93)

125)

61st Trigraph of the Ling Ch'i Ching: Ch'en I / Sinking and Obscured
Sinking and Obscured
The image of minimal existence
A cluster of yin covers yang
Chen (Thunder) * True east
Oracle:
On and on, merely seeing and breathing,
without any ch'i or strength.
Raising my face, I call on Heaven;
bowing my head, I prostrate myself on the ground.
What I seek is not realized; what I see is not obtained.
Verse:
Old methods will bring about good fortune,
Contention will inevitably result in punishment.
With a tranquil heart, return to preserving and waiting,
Do not envy the glory of others.
Advancing one's steps, frequently tripping and stumbling,
Contentious striving brings disaster and danger.
For the rest of one's life there are only sighs,
In poverty and distress, affairs are difficult to perform.
Tung-fang Shuo,Ling Ch'i Ching (circa 222-419)
(trans. Ralph D. Sawyer & Mei-Chün Lee Sawyer, 1995, p. 153)

126)

61st Verse of
Sagathakam in Lankavatara Sutra:
As a picture shows highness and lowness while [in reality]
there is nothing of the sort in it; so in things existent
there is thingness seen [s real] while there is nothing
of the sort in them.
Last chapter of
The Lankavatara Sutra (before 443 AD)
(translated from the Sanskrit by D. T. Suzuki, 1932, p. 231)

127)

In Section 61 of
Lankavatara Sutra, Buddha answers Mahamati
the Bodhisatva-Mahasattva's questions on the truth
of self-realisation and an eternally-abiding reality:What has been realised by the Tathagatas, that is my own realisation,
in which there is neither decreasing nor increasing; for the realm of
self-realisation is free from words and discriminations, having nothing
to do with dualistic terminology. What is meant by an eternally-abiding
reality? The ancient road of reality, Mahamati, has been here all the time,
like gold, silver, or pearl preserved in the mine, Mahamati; the Dharmadhatu
abides forever, whether the Tathagata appears in the world or not; as the
Tathagata eternaly abides so does the reason of all things; reality forever
abides, reality keeps its order, like the roads in an ancient city...The Lankavatara Sutra (before 443 AD)
(translated from the Sanskrit by D. T. Suzuki, 1932, p. 124)

128)

In the 99 Names of Allah,
the 61st Name is Al-Muhyi:
The Restorer, The Giver of Life. He gives life by giving the souls back to the worn out
bodies on the resurrection day and He makes the hearts alive by the light of knowledge.
["Al-Latif, The Gracious, whose grace extends to all His servants"
is listed as the 61st Name of Allah in Arthur Jeffrey,Islam: Muhammad and His Religion (1958), pp. 93-98].

129)

Chapter 61 of Mohammed's Holy Koran is titled "The Ranks"
Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth declares
the glory of Allah; and He is the Mighty, the Wise.
O you who believe! why do you say that which you do not do?
It is most hateful to Allah that you should say that which you do not do.
And yet another (blessing) that you love: help from Allah
and a victory near at hand; and give good news to the believers.
Mohammed, Holy Koran, 61.1-3, 6.13 (7th century AD)
(translated by M. H. Shakir, Holy Koran, 1983)

130)

Verse 61 of Chapter 6 in Santideva's Bodhicaryavatara:
If even the well-being for which I live is lost,
what good is the life which consists wholly
in doing that which is unworthy?
Santideva's Bodhicaryavatara: Entering the Path of Enlightenment
VI.61 (Perfection of Patience: Ksanti-paramita) (circa 700 AD)
(translated by Marion L. Matics, Macmillan, London, 1970, p. 178)

131)

Verse 61 of Chapter 7 in Santideva's Bodhicaryavatara:
Since even in the most painful situation the eye cannot behold
the essence of it, so likewise when one is caught in a painful
situation he must not be obedient to passion.
Santideva's Bodhicaryavatara: Entering the Path of Enlightenment
VII.61 (Perfection of Strength: Virya-paramita) (circa 700 AD)
(translated by Marion L. Matics, Macmillan, London, 1970, p. 191)

132)

Verse 61 of Chapter 9 in Santideva's Bodhicaryavatara:
If there is consciousness of sound, then sound must
always be perceived; for without an object of consciousness,
how does one know that by which consciousness is explained.
Santideva's Bodhicaryavatara: Entering the Path of Enlightenment
IX.61 (Perfection of Wisdom: Prajna-paramita) (circa 700 AD)
(translated by Marion L. Matics, Macmillan, London, 1970, p. 217)

133)

Section 61 of Record of the Chan Master "Gate of the Clouds":
Having entered the Dharma Hall for a formal instruction, Master Yunmen said:
"It is well known that shallowness of virtue is the trend of these times,
and that this generation is living at the end of the imitation period of
Buddhism... Don't say, when some day the King of Hell, Yama, pins you down,
that nobody warned you! Whether you are an innocent beginner or seasoned adept,
you must show some spirit! Don't vainly memorize other people's sayings:
a little bit of reality is better than a lot of illusion. Otherwise, you'll just
go on deceiving yourself. What is the matter with you? Come forward and tell me!"
Master Yunmen (864-949),
Record of the Chan Master "Gate of the Clouds", 61
translated by Urs App, Kodansha International, NY & Tokyo, 1994, p. 116-118

134)

Section 61 of Rinzai's Lin-chi Lu:The master asked a monk: "Sometimes a Katsu is like the precious
sword of the Vajra king; sometimes a Katsu is like a golden-maned lion
crouching on the ground; sometimes a Katsu is like a probing pole
(for fishing) to which a grass bushel is fastened to cast shade; and
sometimes a Katsu is not used as a Katsu. How do you understand that?"
The monk hesitated. The master gave a Katsu.
Rinzai Gigen (died Jan. 10, 866 A.D.),The Zen Teaching of Rinzai, 61
(translated from the Chinese by Irmgard Schloegl)
Shambhala, Berkeley, 1976, p. 74

135)

61st Teaching of Teachings of Quetzalcoatl:A young man from the nobility asked him: "Is my birth a product of chance,
or something that I deserved? Ce Acatl then asked the young one: "Were you
born a noble? Beware of that. It could intoxicate you or make you arrogant.
Have you reached nobility? Here is what makes you a noble: the creation of
a lineage. The taking of a torch and soap, chili and lime, plough and seeds.
Work and be of service. Truly, this is what makes us noble.Quetzalcoatl Ce Acatl (b. 947 A.D.),Gospel of the Toltecs: The Life & Teachings of Quetzalcoatl, XI.61
by Frank Díaz, Bear & Company, Rochester, VT, 2002, p. 152

136)

Case 61 of Hekiganroku: Fuketsu's "One Particle of Dust"
Main Subject: Fuketsu said to the assembled monks,
"If one particle of dust is raised, the state will come into being;
if no particle of dust is raised, the state will perish."
Setcho [at a later time], holding up his staff, said to his disciples,
"Is there anyone among you who will live with him and die with him?"
Setcho's Verse:
Let the elders knit their brows as they will;
For the moment, let the state be established.
Where are the wise statesmen, the veteran generals?
The cool breeze blows; I nod to myself.
Setcho (980-1052), Hekiganroku, 61 (Blue Cliff Records)
(translated by Katsuki Sekida, Two Zen Classics, 1977, p. 314)

137)

Chang Tsai (1020-1077),
Works of Chang Tsai, Section 61:Confucianists investigate principle and therefore can follow their nature.
This constitutes the Way. Buddhists, on the other hand, do not know how to
investigate principle and arbitrarily consider [Emptiness] as the true nature.
Consequently their theory cannot prevail.
(Wing-Tsit Chan, A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy, 1963, pp. 515-516)

138)

Ch'eng Hao (1032-1085),
Selected Sayings, Section 61:The principle of the Mean is perfect. Nothing can be produced with yin
or yang alone. Those who possess them partially are animals and barbarians,
while those who possess them in balanced proportions are men.
(Wing-Tsit Chan, A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy, 1963, p. 540)

139)

Ch'eng I (1033-1107),
Selected Sayings, Section 61:Someone asked: Confucius said, "By nature men are alike. Through practice
they have become far apart." Nature is one. Why should it be said to be alike?
Answer: This refers to physical nature, as in popular phrases, "quick by nature,"
"slow by nature," and so forth. How can nature itself be slow or quick? The word
"nature" used here is the same as the one used in "What is inborn is called nature."
(Wing-Tsit Chan, A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy, 1963, p. 568)

140)

Chapter 61: The Miracles and the Last Admonishment is the last chapter
from Mila Grubum or The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa:At another time, Milarepa flew up into the sky, transforming his body from
one to many, and then retracted them back into one. Also he preached various
Dharmas in an invisible form, and performed many other miracles. He sang:
He who canot satisfy disciples
Should not expect to become a Guru.
He who cannot master his own mind
Should have no hope of leading others.
He who has not cut the bonds of dualism
Should not expect an infinite Compassion.
He who cannot sever the chain of clinging to
An entity should not expect an all-free View.
He who has not seen Self-mind in nakedness
Should not expect to behold the True Essence.
He who knows not how to cleanse impurities
Should not expect unceasing Experience.
He who possess not the Five Miraculous Powers,
Should not make predictions from external signs.
He who has not stablized the Experience,
Should never neglect to cultivate his mind.

On another occasion, Milarepa's body became invisible to all who came before him.
Some saw light, and some a glowing lamp shining on his bed; others beheld
a rainbow, water, a bar of gold, or a whirlwind; and still others could not
see anything. Then Repa Shiwa Aui asked Milarepa what were the meanings and
reasons behind all these phenomena. Milarepa answered him in this song:
I pray to all Gurus
Pray enable me to change into many forms.
Since I have mastered Earth,
Earth of myself is now a part;
Since I have mastered Water,
Water of myself is now a part;
Since I have mastered Fire,
Fire of myself is now a part;
Since I have mastered Air,
Air of myself is now a part.
Since I have mastered the Void of space,
All manifestations in the Cosmos
Have merged and are identified with me.
Since I have mastered the projection of Prana-Mind,
I can transform my body into any form.
Dear son, if you have faith
In the Accomplished Jetsuns,
You will indeed be blessed
And your wishes fulfilled.

This is the story of Milarepa performing miracles to inspire his
disciples, and the end of the last series of the Mila Grubum.
Milarepa (1040-1123),
The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa, Ch. 61
(translated by Garma C. C. Chang, Shambhala, Boston, 1999, pp. 662-672)

141)

Aphroism 61 of Guigo's Meditations:You are in exile fom love, pleasure, sentiment, not from place.
You are an exile in the land of corruption, passion, shadows,
ignorance, of evil loves and hates.Guiges de Chastel (1083-1137),
Meditations of Guigo, Prior of the Charterhouse
translated by John J. Jolin, Marquette University Press, Milwaukee, 1951, p. 14

142)

Section 61 of Ta Hui's Swampland Flowers is titled "Be Thoroughgoing":Now that you have taken up This Affair, you must steadfastly make yourself
thoroughgoing, and sit upright in a room with what you've truly experienced and
awakened to in the course of your life. It's like crossing a bridge made of a
single plank carrying a two-hundred-pound burden: if your hands and feet slip,
you can't even preserve your own life, much less save others... Wu Ye of Fen Yang
told questioners, "No false thinking!" Whenever Lu Tsu saw a monk enter the gate,
he would immediately turn around and sit facing the wall. When helping others,
you must not dim this style: only then do you not lose the meaning of this
school which has come down from antiquity.Ta Hui (1088-1163),
Swampland Flowers
translated by Christopher Cleary, Grove Press, New York, 1977, pp. 110-111

143)

Section 61 in Chapter II:
"The Essentials of Learning"
of Chu Hsi's Chin-ssu lu (1175):Question: What is the difference between seriousness and righteousness?
Answer: Seriousness is merely a way of managing oneself. Righteousness,
however, enables one to know what is right and what is wrong. To act
according to principle is to practice righteousness. If one merely holds
fast to seriousness and does not accumulate righteousness, he has virtually
done nothing. Take for example, the desire to be filial. It will not do just
to hold on to the idea of filial piety. One must know the way to practice it,
for instance, the way to serve his parents and to take care of their comfort
in both winter and summer. Only then can one fulfill the way of filial piety.
Chu Hsi (1130-1200), Reflections on Things at Hand (Chin-ssu lu), II.61
translated by Wing-Tsit Chan, Columbia University Press, NY, 1967, p. 66

Chapter 61 in Part I of Moses Maimonides'The Guide for the Perplexed is titled "On the Names of God":
It is well known that all the names of God occurring in Scripture
are derived from His actions, except one, namely, the Tetragrammaton,
which consitsts of the letters yod, hé, vau and hé.
this name is applied exclusively to God, and is on that account calledShem ha-meforash, "The nomen proprium". It is the distinct and
exclusive designation of the Divine Being.
Moses Maimonides (1135-1204), The Guide for the Perplexed, I.61
translated by M. Friedlander, Routledge, London, 1904, pp. 89-91

146)

Section 61
of William of Auvergne's The Trinity, or the First Principle:We have shown that the first potency does whatever it does by choice
and will. It is manifest that, in order to make, a maker does not need
the very things which he makes in order that he may make them...
Therefore, his knowing and willing are his through his essence, that is,
they are essential and not acquired... his potency is completely free in
itself and through itself so that it is not bound more to one thing than
to another. Hence he can do all things equally. In the same way we shall
show that he knows all things equally. The reason is that his wisdom is
absolute and free, not bound in any way to things, nor dependent upon
them, but he is through himself wholly wisdom.
William of Auvergne (1180-1249), The Trinity, or the First Principle, Ch. IX
(translated by Roland J. Teske & Francis C. Wade,
Marquette University Press, Milwaukee, 1989, pp. 102-103)

147)

Letter 61 of The Letters of Marsilio Ficino:For evil men good fortune is bad, but for good men evil fortune is good:
Where wisdom abound, there is very little work for dice. Where there is very
little wisdom, chance dominates most things. And if at times fortune is joined
to wisdom, nevertheless they do not both reign at the same time. For either
chance is in no way joined to reason or she is subject to it... No one is more
pitiable than he who places true happiness in fortune. No one is happier than
he who does not judge fortuitous prosperity truly to be happiness. that man is
thought by Hippocates to be prudent who either laughs with Democritus at the
ridiculous tears of fortune or, with Heraclitus, laments over her lamentable
laughter. He who with Socrates spurns her childish games is esteemed wise and
divine by Apollo. Finally, he who endures adversities, alone with Aeneas
preserves himself for favourable times. He looks up at a sky clear after rain
and at length becomes Lord of the chosen Italy. Therefore, my Aeneas, do not
give way to evils; on the contrary, move forward more boldly. Whatever the
situation, all fortune is to be overcome by being borne. Be of good cheer,
my Aeneas; one day, safe in port, you will rejoice in as many blessings
as the storms you have braved at sea.Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499),
Letter to the illustrious Venetian knight, Bernado BemboThe Letters of Marsilio Ficino, Vol. 2, Shepheard-Walwyn, London, 1975, p. 78

148)

Section 61 of Wang Yang Ming's Instructions for Practical Living:
I asked about the Lü-lü hsin-shu (New book on pitch pipes).
The Teacher said, "The student should be earnestly devoted to what is of the
greatest importance. Even if one becomes thoroughly familiar with these calculations,
they may not necessarily be of any use. It is necessary that the mind should first
possess the fundamentals of ceremonies and music... We must first understand in our
mind what the exact moment of the winter solstice should be. This is where the book
does not make sense. The student must first direct his effort to acquiring the
fundamentals of ceremonies and music."
Wang Yang Ming (1472-1529),Instructions for Practical Living or Ch'uan-hsi lu (1518), I.61
(translated by Wing-tsit Chan, Columbia University Press, NY, 1963, pp. 44-45)

149)

Section 61 of Lo Ch'in-shun's Knowledge Painfully Acquired:
In the Way of nature the sun, moon, stars, and the asterisms are the warp,
and the wind, rain, thunder, clouds, frost, and dew are the woof.
The warp and the woof are characterized by constancy wherein lies
the wonder of origination, prosperity, advantage, and correctedness.
It is through them that creation is completed. In the Way of man,
the relation between sovereign and minister, father and son, husband
and wife, elder and younger, and friend and friend are the warp,
while the feelings of pleasure, anger, sorrow, and joy are the woof.
The warp and the woof do not err, and the reality of humaneness,
rightness, propriety, and wisdom are included within them. Their
excellent virtue and great calling are fulfilled through this.
Lo Ch'in-shun (1465-1547),
Knowledge Painfully Acquired or K'un-chih chi
translated by Irene Bloom, Columbia University Press, NY, 1987, p. 97

150)

Section 61 of Swedenborg's Arcana Coelestia (1837):All things relating to the knowledges of faith are called spiritual,
and all that are of love to the Lord and our neighbor are called celestial;
the former belong to man's understanding, and the latter to his will.
Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772)Arcana Coelestia, 61 (Swedenborg Foundation, NY, 1965, p. 37)

151)

Section 61 of Swedenborg's Worlds in Space (1758):
The spirits of that world [Jupiter] are unwilling to associate with spirits
from ours because of the difference in their character and behaviour.
They call the spirits of our world cunning, quick and clever at devising
evil, knowing or thinking little about good. Moreover the spirits of Jupiter
are much wiser than the spirits of our world. They say of ours that they talk
too much and think too little, so that they cannot have much inward perception,
even of what good is. From this they infer that the people of our world are
external men... They were surprised to hear that many from our world actually
become angels and were totally different at heart... To show them this was true,
choirs composed of angels from our world came from heaven, which one after another
together glorified the Lord with one voice and in harmony. The spirits of Jupiter
with me were so charmed by these choirs they thought themselves almost carried up
into heaven. This glorifying by choirs lasted about an hour, and the delight they
felt in it was conveyed to me, so that I too could feel it. They said they would
tell their friends who were not there about it.
Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772),
The Worlds in Space, 61
(translated from Latin by John Chadwick, Swedenborg Society, London, 1997, pp. 40-41)

152)

Section 61 of Sage Ninomiya's Evening Talks:The Secret of Successful Government
A certain prefectural governor called upon me one day and said:
"After you have been in charge of the government of Sakuramachi during
the past few years, you have succeeded in wiping out all evil practices
that had prevailed for ages among the local people. Not only that, but
you have made them hard-workers and the resources of the land having
been developed, many people come from other places to settle here.
I sincerely admire you for the excellent work you have accomplished.
Now, though I have been anxious and have endeavoured for years to
improve conditions of the people in my charge, I have achieved
little success. Have you any secret for your success?"
In reply, I said to him in effect as follows:
As you have prestige to help ou, it is easier for you to accomplish
your task. I am incompetent and am in possession of no special method
or device. I am, however, well acquainted with the technique of making
egg-plants bear fruit and of making radishes thicker, which neither
the prestige nor instruction of a high official can achieve. I have
only exerted myself to execute my duty by making the truth I learned
from the growth of these plants the rule and guide of my conduct.
When an unopened field is brought under cultivation, it yields crops
of rice, and when rice is cooked it is made into food. Even unthinking
hens and dogs come running in flocks to the rice so prepared and the
dogs wag their tails circle round and bark when they are commanded
to do such tricks. As even unthinking animals act like this, much
more will men show themselves tractable if they are similarly handled.
In governing the fief in my charge, I have had no other method than
acting on this truth faithfully. For a week or so after that, I had
talks with the visitor concerning what I actually did for years for
improvement of conditions in the locality under my jurisdiction, and
he listened to me without becoming weary of my talks. I hope he did
much good work for the benefit of the district in his charge.
Sontoku Ninomiya (1787-1856),Sage Ninomiya's Evening Talks, Section 61
translated by Isoh Yamagata from Ninomiya-Ô Yawa,
Tokuno Kyokai, Tokyo, 1937, pp. 119-121

It may now be said that the universe is produced by a process which
we may call a partial blinding, and that the reverse process, i.e., that
of Awakening, destroys the universe to just the extent that the Awakening
has proceeded. This should make perfectly clear the rationale of the statement
of the Mystic who says: "I sustain this universe and can produce or destroy
it at will." When Shankara speaks of destroying the universe, he does not
have in mind a physical cataclysm but a Transition in Consciousness such
that the apperceptive Subject realizes Itself as Lord over the universe,
instead of being a victim of it. The individual soul that has attained
this position may choose continued cognizance of the universe, but the
essential power of the latter over the former is destroyed unequivocally.

Let us then, take the standpoint that ponderable matter, or the sensously
perceived world, is to be regarded as relative emptiness, so that absolute
matter in this sense would be an absolute vacuum. We then see that the relative
world, or this seen universe, is produced by a kind of process of negation,
and hence from the standpoint of metaphysical philosophy it would have to be
regarded as a Maya or Illusion. From this it is not to be concluded that the
universe is without value. but it does imply that if a man misplaces his
predication of 'Reality', he would then be caught in an illusion in the sense
that produces bondage. Nonetheless, it would still remain true that if he
avoids this error he can, through the universe, find the Real. Most of humanity
has fallen into the error, and that is the cause of all suffering. But the very
agency that caused the fall may be used as a stepping-stone to Recognition.
To achieve this, a certain Copernican shift in individual consciousness is
necessary. Thus, instead of regarding the sensuously apparent as being
substantial, the standpoint should be reversed. Then we would view the
seeming emptiness of space, where there is a relative absence of physical
matter, as being actually far more substantial than any ponderable matter.
We would thus say: "Increase of ponderability implies decrease of substantiality
and vice versa." Consequently, in some sense, the laws governing the ponderable
become the obverse of the laws governing the substantial.

The foregoing discussion gives us a new angle for interpreting the meaning of
the technique designed to arouse Recognition by the systematic denial of all
that is ponderable or thinkable. The end of the process is the arrival at a
seeming nothingness, i.e., pure Consciousness-without-an-object.
This stage, plus the identification of one's Self with that seeming
nothingness, produces at once the Recognition. But at that moment the
Nothingness becomes complete Fullness and absolute Substantiality.
Then the Realized Man may turn toward the world and assert universally:
"I am all things." But now it is the obverse of the ponderable universe
of which he is speaking. We may regard this obverse as something like a
matrix. This Matrix is a continuum, while the ponderable manifold is
discrete. So far as we can see, this resolves the difficulties in the
reconciliation between the many and the One in the logical sense.
Actually, for myself, this view ws the finally effective cognitive aid
that made possible the Transition in consciousness.

Verse 61 in Jack Kerouac's Sutra,Scripture of the Golden Eternity (1960):I remember that I'm supposed to be a man and consciousness
and I focus my eyes and the print reappears and the words
of the poor book are saying, "The world, as God has made it"
and there are no words in my pitying heart to express the
knowless loveliness of the trance there was before I read
those words, I had no such idea that there was a world.
Jack Kerouac (1922-1969)The Scripture of the Golden Eternity, Totem/Corinth Book, NY, 1970

155)

Chapter 61 of Wei Wu Wei's Ask the Awakened (1963)
is titled "A Pink Elephant?":
How could reality possibly be known? As long as 'we'
still exist as individuals how could we know reality
since that would just be a concept?
And if 'we' were no longer, as such, who would
there be to know anything whatsover!
If, indeed, there were such a thing as reality,
it could never be possible to find out what it was.
Therefore the notion of its existence seems to be
perfectly gratuitous. At best it is a piece of
laboratory apparatus and imaginary at that!
Wei Wu Wei (1895-1986),Ask the Awakened (1963), p. 136

Para #61 from Volume 15 of Paul Brunton'sNotebooks: "Advanced Contemplation"On the Short Path he must give no backward glances at the ego,
must no longer abase himself by identifying himself with that fradulent self.
He must cling to his new attitude with the ardour of a new convert. (1.61)The Ideal is there to help them, both to travel the Long Path and the make the
transition in the Short one, where Grace will take over what they have started. (4.61)The Long Path brings the self to a growing awareness of its own strength,
whereas the Short Path brings it to a growing awareness of its own unreality.
This higher stage leads inevitably to a turnabout face, where the energies
are directed toward identification with the One Infinite Mind. The more this
is done, the more Grace flows by reaction into the Self. (5.61)The forms of meditation vary, but all in the end must lead the meditator
beyond them. this is the crucial point when he must be willing to let them go:
they have served their purpose. This is the crossing-over into contemplation
(in Christian mystical terms) or Nirvikalpa (in Hindu yoga terms). (8.61)

Para #61 from Volume 15 of Paul Brunton'sNotebooks: "The Peace Within You"It [Happiness] does not mean looking for hope in a hopeless situation.
Philosophy is more sensible and more practical than that. (1.61)The serene life is not subject to emotional crises. It has clearly
worked out, in the hours of contemplation, its wise attitude towards
life and men so that no situation that arises can sweep it off its feet. (2.61)Far from the arguments of mind-narrowed men, he will find himself
without a supporting group in the end. He is to meet God alone, for all
his attention is to be held so fully that there is nothing and no
one else. thus the three become two, who in turn become the One,
which it always is. Truth is no longer needed; its seeker has vanished.
The great Silent Timelessness reigns. (4.61)

There are many things in life which endeavor to keep us away from our true being.
These are the cycles of life. We must watch and be careful of these recurring cycles
in our life. These joyous and sorrowful occurrences that awareness experiences,
sometimes each day, sometimes each week, sometimes each month, are totally dependent
upon the positive control that we have of awareness. But then there are greater
experiences that have even longer cycles perhaps a three-year cycle,
a five-year cycle, a ten-year cycle or a fifteen-year cycle.
The subconscious area of the mind is something like the sacred cow of India.
It relives what it takes in. The cow will take in grass and chew it, and then
she will chew her food all over again at a later time. The subconscious area
of the mind does the same thing. You will find yourself aware of reliving your
life, or getting back into the same cycle of the same pattern of life that you
experienced many years ago. This you want to avoid, naturally. It is easy.
Ponder over what you are doing now, how you are living, and then go back and
find out within yourself how that compares to a previous time in your life
when you were living more or less in the same way. In this way, you will come
to know what area of the mind you will become aware in next.
If something good happened to you after a series of events in the past,
you can expect something good to happen to you again. If something happened
that was not as good or joyous as you would like it to have been, then you can
know that you will become aware in this area of the mind in the future.
This you can avoid. You have the power to control your cause and effect.
Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001)Merging with Siva: Hinduism's Contemporary Metaphysics
Himalayan Academy, Kapaa, Hawaii, 1999, pp. 192-196

158)

Chapter 61 of Zen Master Seung Sahn'sDropping Ashes on the Buddha is titled "It":
May 27, 1975
Dear Carol,
In your first letter, you speak about "no teacher." Don't worry about that.
As I said to you before, if you want Big I and enlightenment, then only let
your situation, condition, and opinions disappear. This is your true teacher.
A teaching based on language alone is no good. If you are thinking, even
a good teacher sitting in front of you will not help you. But if you cut
off all thinking, then the dog barking, the wind, the trees, the mountains,
the lightning, the sound of the water all are your teachers. So you
must keep the complete don't know mind. This is very necessary...
If you say you haven't lost it, you have already lost it.
If you want to find it, you won't be able to find it.
All people use it all the time.
But they don't understand it, because it has no name and no form.
It pierces past, present, and future, and it fills space.
Everything is contained in it.
It is apparent in everything.
But if you want to find it, it will go further and further away,
and if you lose it, it has already appeared before you.
It is brighter than sunlight, and darker than a starless night.
Sometimes it is bigger than the universe,
sometimes smaller than the point of a needle.
It controls everything; it is the king of the ten thousand dharmas.
It is powerful and awesome.
People call it "mind", "God", "Buddha", "nature", "energy".
But it has no beginning or end, and is neither form nor emptiness.
If you want it, then you must ride the ship which has no hull;
you must play the flute with no holes;
you must cross the ocean of life and death.
You will then arrive at the village of "like this."
Within the village, you must find your true home, "just like this."
Then, when you open the door, you will get it.
It is only "it is."
Seung Sahn (born 1927),Dropping Ashes on the Buddha:
The Teaching of Zen Master Seung Sahn,
Edited by Stephen Mitchell, Grove Press, New York, 1976, pp. 135-138
(PDF file:
Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn, pp. 517-520

159)

Koan 61 of Zen Master Seung Sahn Ten Sicknesses:
When Zen Master Yong Song was staying at Man Wol Sah
Temple, he sent a letter to several other temples in Korea
which said, "In the 'Mu' kong-an, there are ten sicknesses.
Please send me one sentence without the ten sicknesses."

Zen Master Hae Am answered,
"Already fell down. What can you do?"
Zen Master Hae Wol answered,
"KATZ! Is that correct or not?"
Zen Master Song Wol wrote from Kun Jung Mountain,
"On top of Man Wol Mountain [where Yong Song was]
is a cloud. Under Kun Jung Mountain is a thief."

1. Joju said, "Mu". What does this mean?
2. Where are the "Mu" kong-an's ten sicknesses?
3. Give me one sentence without the ten sicknesses.

Commentary:
On the mountain there are many trees, in the ocean there are many fish.
They all have different names and forms, but everything returns to one point.
What is that? If you find this one point then this kong-an is no problem.
In the clear mirror, red comes red is reflected; white comes white.
If you are not holding anything and not checking anything, then your mind is
clear like space. If you're thinking and checking, then this kong-an
is a thousand miles away. Be careful!
Seung Sahn (born 1927),The Whole World Is A Single Flower
365 Kong-ans for Everyday Life,
Tuttle, Boston, 1992, p. 51

61 in Poetry & Literature

160)

Han-shan's Poem 61 of
Collected Songs of Cold Mountain:
I see a hundred-odd dogs
every one of them scruffy
and happy to lie by themselves
glad to ramble alone
but throw out a bone
and watch them growl and fight
because with bones so few
a pack of dogs can't share
Han-shan (fl. 627-649), Collected Songs of Cold Mountain,
Poem 61 (translated by
Red Pine, 1990)
(
Robert G. Henricks translation, 1990;
Burton Watson translation, 1962)

161)

Poem 61 of
Su Tung-p'o (1036-1101)
is titled "Written on the Wall at West Forest Temple" (1084):From the side, a whole range; from the end, a single peak;
Far, near, high, low, no two parts alike.
Why can't I tell the true shape of Lu-shan?
Because I myself am in the mountain.
 translated by Burton Watson,
Su Tung-P'o: Selections from a Sung Dynasty Poet,
Columbia University Press, New York, 1965, p. 101Expanded edition,
Copper Canyon Press, 1994, p. 108)

162)

Verse 61 of Rubáiyát, of
Omar Khayyam (1048-1122):Why, be this Juice the growth of God, who dare
Blaspheme the twisted tendril as a Snare?
A Blessing, we should use it, should we not?
And if a Curse why, then, Who set it there?
(translated by Edward Fitzgerald,
London, 1st edition 1859, 2nd edition 1868)

163)

King Arthur's falcon in the 61st Line of Eschenbach's
Parzival:All night with Parzival it stood,
Since neither of them knew the wood
And with the cold they nearly froze.
But when next day the sun arose,
With snow the paths were overspread.
So Parzival must ride ahead
Without a trail o'er higher shone.
The forest sparser he beheld
And saw a single tree-trunk felled
Upon a mead, toward which he crept;
Beside him Arthur's falcon kept.
Wolfram von Eschenbach (1165-1217) Parzival (1195)
Book VI "Parzival at King Arthur's Court" Lines 61-72
(translated by
Edwin H. Zeydel & Bayard Quincy Morgan,
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1951, p. 144)

Chapter 61 of Rumi's Discourses (Fihi ma fihi):
Although you traverse the earth, if you do not do it for God,
you will have to traverse it again... God says, "That traversal
of the earth was not for Me but for garlic and onions." If you
did not traverse for Him, it must have been for some other purpose;
and that other purpose became a veil that kept you from seeing Him.

There are few who can tolerate God's presence. For most people it is
better for Him to be absent. The brightness of day comes from the sun;
but if anyone were to spend all day gazing into the orb of the sun,
he would be useless and his eyes would be dazzled. It is better for him
to occupy himself with something that could be called "absence"
that is, absence of gazing into the sun.

God has two attributes: wrath and kindness. The prophets manifest both;
believers manifest kindness, and unbelievers wrath. Those who acknowledge
God see themselves in the prophets, hear their own voices in them,
and perceive their scent in them.
Jelaluddin Rumi (1207-1273)Signs of the Unseen: Discourses of Rumi, Chapter 61
(Translated by W. M. Thackston, Jr., Threshold Books, Putney, VT, 1994, p. 226-230)

167)

Dante comes to the 7th Cornice, passes through the wall of fire,
and ascends to the Earthly Paradise in the
61st Canto of the Commedia:

Poem 61 of The Zen Works of Stonehouse:A view of the wild unrolls fom the cliffs
Pine Gate is there as always
a monastery from the T'ang
a Sung prime minister's grave
stream light flows into the distance
the wilderness turns dark at dusk
singing fades from mountain trails
as woodcutters head for village smokeCh'ing-hung (1272-1352),
The Zen Works of Stonehouse, Poem 61
translated by Red Pine (Bill Porter),
Mercury House, San Francisco, p. 33 (Zen Poems)

Verse 61 of The Divan of Hafez:Zephyr, if you happen to pass the country of the friend,
Bring a waft of air from the ambrosial hair of the friend.
I swear by his soul that I will surrender my life in gratitude
If you bring me a message from the friend...
My heart, shaped like a pine-con, trembles like a willow,
Longing for the spruce-like figure and stature of the friend.
Although the friend does not buy me for anything,
I will not sell for a whole world a single hair of the friend.
What happens if the heart of sweet-singing Hafez is freed
From the bond of grief since he is the servant of the friend?
Hafiz (1320-1389),
The Divan of Hafez, Verse 61
translated from the Persian by Reza Saberi,
University Press of American, Lanham, MD, 2002, p. 74

When thay knewen his cal that thider com schulde,
Allee excused hem by the skyly he scape by moght.
On hade boght hym a borgh, he sayde by hys trawthe:
'Now turne I theder als tyd the toun to byholde.'

When those who were invited received his summons,
each man excused himself by a pretext which enabled him to escape.
One had bought himself an estate, he said on his honour:
'Now I am going there at once to see the property.'

Ocean of happiness in Verse 61 of Songs of Kabir:When at last you are come to the ocean
of happiness, do not go back thirsty.
Wake, foolish man! for Death stalks you.
Here is pure water before you;
drink it at every breath.
Do not follow the mirage on foot,
but thirst for the nectar;
The saints are drunk with love,
their thirst is for love.
Kabir says: "Listen to me, brother!
The next of fear is broken.
Not for a moment have you come
face to face with the world:
You are weaving your bondage of falsehood,
your words are full of deception.
With the load of desires which you hold
on your head, how can you be light?"
Kabir says: "Keep within you truth,
detachment, and love."
Kabir (1398-1448),
Songs of Kabir, Verse 61
(Translated by Rabindranath Tagore, Macmillan, NY, 1916, pp. 105-106)

If it is Your will,
Your order will be obeyed,
and this raft will cross over
to the other side.

By the guru's grace
I have been enlightened;
gone forever
is my coming and going.

Kabir, say,
"Praise Sarangpani;
recognize Him as the only one
in this world and the next."
Kabir (1398-1448), Raga Gauri-Purabi, 61Songs of Kabir from the Adi Granth, Verse 61 (p. 90)
(Translated by Nirmal Dass, State University of NY Press, Albany, 1991)

177)

Chapter 61 of Wu Ch'eng-en The Journey to the West:Chu Pa-chieh assists in defeating the demon king;
Pilgrim Sun seeks for the third time the palm-leaf fan.

Holding the fan, the Great Sage Sun walked near the mountain
and waved the fan once with all his might. Immediately the flames
on the mountain subsided and there was only the faintest glow left.
He fanned at it a second time and a cool, gentle breeze rustled through
the region. He fanned at the mountain a third time, and as
Hazy clouds filled the sky,
A fine rain drizzled down.
We have a testimonial poem, and the poem says:
Eight hundred miles long, this Mountain of Flames,
The light of its fire has worldwide fame.
Elixir can't ripen with five senses scorched;
When three passes are burned, the Tao's impure.
Now and then the palm-leaf may bring dew and rain;
It's luck that Heaven's hosts lend their godly power.
Lead the bull to Buddha, let it sin no more:
Nature's conquered when water's joined with fire.
Wu Ch'eng-en (1500-1582),The Journey to the West or Hsi-yu chi (1518), Volume 3, Chapter 61
(translated by Anthony C. Yu, University of Chicago Press, 1980, pp. 186-187)

178)

Lover's jealousy in 61st Sonnet of William Shakespeare:Is it thy will, thy image should keep open
My heavy eyelids to the weary night?
Dost thou desire my slumbers should be broken,
While shadows like to thee do mock my sight?
Is it thy spirit that thou send'st from thee
So far from home into my deeds to pry,
To find out shames and idle hours in me,
The scope and tenor of thy jealousy?
O, no! thy love, though much, is not so great:
It is my love that keeps mine eye awake:
Mine own true love that doth my rest defeat,
To play the watchman ever for thy sake:
For thee watch I, whilst thou dost wake elsewhere,
From me far off, with others all too near.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616),
Sonnets LXI,
Commentary

Whether upon some icy mountain's head
Andes or Himmalah,
Roused by the sun, ye first awoke,
Or on the desert grave
Of Babylon or Ninevah;
Or on the Dead Sea's wave
Dreams of the past erst broke
Your slumber first,
(Its chain by Terror burst),
I know not: fast ye fled,
And o'er thgese hills I hear your hurrying tread.

Ye say not whence! Can any answer give?
Mysteriously ye live
Amid the infinite, whose depths untold
The rolling Earth in their vast bosom hold!
Secret your path unmarked your place of birth.
My sul! art thou not like to these wild winds?
Passing in fitful swiftness o'er the earth
A wanderer that seeks and never finds!
My soul replies:
"Look at the ordered skies,
See how each planet keeps its glorious path
The swift-winged comets do not stray;
The winds have their appointed way,
And so thy spirit hat."
Thomas Cole (1801-1848),Thomas Cole's Poetry, Poem 61: "Winds" (May 1841)
(Compiled & Edited by Marshall B. Tymn,
Liberty Cap Books, York, PA, 1972, p. 131)

Thomas Cole, Self-Portrait (1836)

183)

Chapter 61 of Melville's
Moby Dick (1851):It was my turn to stand at the foremast-head; and with my shoulders leaning against
the slackened royal shrouds, to and fro I idly swayed in what seemed an enchanted air.
No resolution could withstand it; in that dreamy mood losing all consciousness, at last
my soul went out of my body; though my body still continued to sway as a pendulum will,
long after the power which first moved it is withdrawn... The waves, too, nodded their
indolent crests; and across the wide trance of the sea, east nodded to west, and the sun
over all. Suddenly bubbles seemed bursting beneath my closed eyes; like vices my hands
grasped the shrouds; some invisible, gracious agency preserved me; with a shock I came
back to life. And lo! close under our lee, not forty fathoms off, a gigantic Sperm Whale
lay rolling in the water like the capsized hull of a frigate, his broad, glossy back,
of an Ethiopian hue, glistening in the sun's rays like a mirror. But lazily undulating
in the trough of the sea, and ever and anon tranquilly spouting his vapory jet, the whale
looked like a portly burgher smoking his pipe of a warm afternoon.Herman Melville (1819-1891),
Moby-Dick, Chapter 61: Stubb Kills a Whale

184)

My flowers come in my stead in Letter 61 of Emily Dickinson:It has been a long week dear Emily, for I have not seen your face,
but I have contrived to think of you very much indeed, which has half
reconciled me to not seeing you for so long. I was coming several times,
but the snow would start the first, and then the paths were damp, and then
a friend would drop in to chat, and the short afternoon was gone, before
I was aware. Did Mr. Dickinson give you a message from me? He promised to be
faithful, but I don't suppose Divines think earthly loves of much consequence.
My flowers come in my stead, today, dear Emily, I hope you will love to see
them, and whatever word of love, or welcome kindly, you would extend to me,
"do even so to them." They are small, but so full of meaning, if they only
mean the half of what I bid them. Very affy, Emily.
Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
Letter 61 (to Emily Fowler Ford, about 1851)The Letters of Emily Dickinson, Volume I
(Biography)
(edited by Thomas H. Johnson, Harvard University Press, 1955, p. 154)

61st New Poem of Emily Dickinson:I remember your coming as serious sweetness
placed now with the Unreal
Emily Dickinson (Letter 330)New Poems of Emily Dickinson
(edited by William H. Shurr, University of North Carolin Press, 1993, p. 24)

187)

Patience in Line 61 of Walt Whitman's
Faces (1855):Spots or cracks at the windows do not disturb me,
Tall and sufficient stand behind and make signs to me,
I read the promise, and patiently wait.
Walt Whitman (1819-1892)Faces, Lines 59-61
A Textual Variorum of the Printed Poems, Vol. I, Poems, 1855-1856
(Edited by Sculley Bradley, Harold W. Blodgett, Arthur Golden, William White
New York University Press, 1980, p. 136)

188)

Verse 61 in Tagore's
Gitanjali:
The sleep that flits on baby's eyes does anybody know from where it comes?
Yes, there is a rumour that it has its dwelling where, in the fairy village
among shadows of the forest dimly lit with glow-worms, there hang two timid
buds of enchantment. From there it comes to kiss baby's eyes.

The smile that flickers on baby's lips when he sleeps does anybody know where
it was born? Yes, there is a rumour that a young pale beam of a crescent moon touched
the edge of a vanishing autumn cloud, and there the smile was first born in the dream
of a dew-washed morning - the smile that flickers on baby's lips when he sleeps.

The sweet, soft freshness that blooms on baby's limbs does anybody know
where it was hidden so long? Yes, when the mother was a young girl it lay
pervading her heart in tender and silent mystery of love the sweet, soft
freshness that has bloomed on baby's limbs.

I am the lute. If you wish to describe
my body, with its beautiful arching stripes:
speak of me as you would of a ripe
full-bodied fig. Exaggerate.

the darkness that you see in me. It was
Tullia's darkness. In her most private place
there wasn't so much, and her bright hair
was like a light-filled hall. Sometimes

she took some sound from my surface
into her face and sang while I played.
Then I tensed myself against her yielding,
until at last my inmost self was in her.

Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926), "The Lute"
(translated by Edward Snow, New Poems: The Other Part (1908), 61
North Point Press, San Francisco, 1987, pp. 142-143)

190)

61st Page lines in James Joyce's Finnegans Wake, (10 samples):scenities, una mona. Sylvia Silence, the girl detective (Meminerva, (61.1)leaned back in her really truly easy chair to query restfully through (61.5)cold in her brain while that felt a sink in her summock, wit's (61.17)pance, Naville, thus cor replied to her other's thankskissing: I (61.21)their three drummers down Keysars Lane. (Trite!) (61.27)with oddman rex? Is now all seenheard then forgotten? Can it (61.29)was, one is fain in this leaden age of letters now to wit, that so (61.30)partly carried out against so staunch a covenanter if it be true (61.32)the truth but sparingly and we, on this side ought to sorrow for (61.35)their pricking pens on that account. The seventh city, Urovivla, (61.36)
James Joyce (1882-1941), Finnegans Wake, (1939)

191)

There are 61 poems in William Carlos Williams' Clouds (1948).
The 61st poem and last poem is titled "The Clouds" in four sections.
Filling the mind
upon the rim of the overarching sky, the horses of
the dawn charge from south to north, gigantic beasts
rearing flame-edged above the pit,
a rank confusion of the imagination still uncured,
a rule, piebald under the streetlamps, reluctant
to be torn from its hold...

Chapter 61 of Ezra Pound's Cantos (selections):Yong Tching
his fourth son, to honour his forebears
and spirits of fields
of earth
heaven...
Ghost frightens no honest man. No house is
durable if perched on yr neighbor's ruin
An honest peasant is a prognostic...
Men are born with a fund of rightness you will
find good men in any small village
but the bureaucrats take no notice...
'A man's happiness depends on himself,
not on his Emperor'
If you think that I think that I can make any man happy
you have misunderstood the FU
(the Happiness ideogram) that I sent you.
Ezra Pound (1885-1972),
The Cantos (1-95),
New Directions, NY, 1956, pp. 80-86

194)

Poem 61 in Edith Sodergran's Love & Soltiude: Selected Poems 1916-1923
is titled "The Moon" (Månen)How all things dead are wonderful
and unspeakable:
a dead leaf and a dead body
and the crescent moon.
And every flower knows a secret
and the forest guards it:
the circle of the moon around our earth
is the path of death.
And the moon spins its miraculous fabric
that flowers love,
and the moon weaves its wonderful web
around all that lives.
And the moon's scythe mows flowers down
in late autumn nights,
and all flowers await the moon's kiss
in endless longing.
Edith Södergran (1892-1923),Love & Soltiude: Selected Poems 1916-1923,
translated by Stina Katchadourian,
Fjord Press, Seattle, 1992, p. 163

There are 81 poems in Denise Levertov's Evening Train (1992).Poem 61 is titled "One December Night...":

This I had not expected:
the moon coming right into my kitchen,
the full moon, gently bumping
angles of furniture,
seeming to like the round table
but not resenting corners.

Somehow the moon
filled all the space and yet
left room for whatever
was there already, including me,
and for movement. Like a balloon,
the moon stired at a breath
and unlike a balloon did not
rise to the ceiling, but wandered
as if sleep-walking,
no more than a foot from the floor.

Music accompanied this lunar visitation
you would imagine harp or lute, but no,
I'd say it was steel drums,
played with an airy whispering touch.
(Those scooped concaviites
might serve as moon-mirrors.)
The greenish tint of white spider-chrysanthemums
resembled the moon's color,
but that was lighter, lighter.

I have been given much, but why this also?
I was abashed. What grand gesture of welcome
was I to make? I bowed, curtsied, but the modest moon
appeared unaware of homage.
I breathed, I gazed, and slowly, mildly,
the moon hovered, touring stove and cupboards,
bookshelves and sink, glimmering
over a bowl of tangerines. And gently
withdrew, just as I thought to summon courage
to offer honey-mead or slivovitz.

There are 67 poems in Charles Simic's
The World Doesn't End: Prose Poems (1989)
(which was awarded the 1990 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry)Poem 61:
All this gets us Nowhere which is a town like any other.
The salesgirls of Nowhere are going home at the end of the day.
I must assure myself of their reality by begging one for a dime.
She obliges and even gives me a little peck on the forehead.
I'm ready to throw aside my crutches and walk, but another
wags her finger at me and tells me to behave myself.

Charles Simic (born May 9, 1938),The World Doesn't End: Prose Poems, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, NY, 1989, p. 68)

There are 69 poems in Stephen Mitchell's Parables and Portraits (1992).Poem 61 is titled
"Yeshu of Nazareth"
(stanza 3 cited below):
Golgotha. Were you unable
to endure one moment longer
the body's agony, the failure,
the impossible desolation
by what you most trusted? And yet
this too had to be lived.
There was no outside heaven
waiting for you. Despair
had to be made your own
since you had, somewhere, willed it,
and yourself had given yourself
that cup
to drink, to the bitter last drop.
You walked into perfect horror
open-eyed, leaving behind
everything. As if you were walking
into the final room
of your own house.
Stephen Mitchell (born 1943),Parables and Portraits,
Harper & Row, NY, pp. 74-75)